US20110045892A1 - Wagering Game With Game-Play Enhancements Having Known Expected Values - Google Patents
Wagering Game With Game-Play Enhancements Having Known Expected Values Download PDFInfo
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- US20110045892A1 US20110045892A1 US12/822,655 US82265510A US2011045892A1 US 20110045892 A1 US20110045892 A1 US 20110045892A1 US 82265510 A US82265510 A US 82265510A US 2011045892 A1 US2011045892 A1 US 2011045892A1
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- wagering game
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- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
- G07F17/00—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services
- G07F17/32—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services for games, toys, sports, or amusements
- G07F17/34—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services for games, toys, sports, or amusements depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines
Definitions
- At least one of the gaming apparatus processors interpret the wager from the data signals and a recording of a digital representation of the wager is stored in at least one of the gaming apparatus storage devices. At least one of the gaming apparatus processors is used to initiate the game sequence of the wagering game on the gaming apparatus. The user interface device is used to activate the wagering game. At least one of the gaming apparatus processors causes at least one of the display devices to display a series of reels with symbols showing a randomly generated outcome of a plurality of outcomes of the wagering game. The plurality of outcomes includes an outcome to award a powerup allowing the player to activate a game enhancement feature on a future play of the wagering game.
- FIG. 4 is an image of a basic-game screen that displays the special feature menu for player selection of powerups.
- FIG. 6 is an image of a summary game screen that provides a player a choice of a credit award or game powerups.
- the primary display area 14 may include a mechanical-reel display, a video display, or a combination thereof in which a transmissive video display in front of the mechanical-reel display portrays a video image superimposed over the mechanical-reel display. Further information concerning the latter construction is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,517,433 to Loose et al. entitled “Reel Spinning Slot Machine With Superimposed Video Image,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
- the mechanical reels 32 may be removed from the interior of the terminal and the video display 34 may be of a non-transmissive type.
- the video display 34 may be replaced with a conventional glass panel.
- Video images in the primary display area 14 and/or the secondary display area 16 may be rendered in two-dimensional (e.g., using Flash MacromediaTM) or three-dimensional graphics (e.g., using RenderwareTM).
- the images may be played back (e.g., from a recording stored on the gaming terminal 10 ), streamed (e.g., from a gaming network), or received as a TV signal (e.g., either broadcast or via cable).
- the images may be animated or they may be real-life images, either prerecorded (e.g., in the case of marketing/promotional material) or as live footage, and the format of the video images may be an analog format, a standard digital format, or a high-definition (HD) digital format.
- HD high-definition
- the player-input devices 26 may include a plurality of buttons 36 on a button panel and/or a touch screen 38 mounted over the primary display area 14 and/or the secondary display area 16 and having one or more soft touch keys 40 .
- the player-input devices 26 may further comprise technologies that do not rely upon touching the gaming terminal, such as speech-recognition technology, gesture-sensing technology, eye-tracking technology, etc.
- the information reader 24 is preferably located on the front of the housing 12 and may take on many forms such as a ticket reader, card reader, bar code scanner, wireless transceiver (e.g., RFID, Bluetooth, etc.), biometric reader, or computer-readable-storage-medium interface.
- Information may be transmitted between a portable medium (e.g., ticket, voucher, coupon, casino card, smart card, debit card, credit card, etc.) and the information reader 24 for accessing an account associated with cashless gaming, player tracking, game customization, saved-game state, data transfer, and casino services as more fully disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0045354 entitled “Portable Data Unit for Communicating With Gaming Machine Over Wireless Link,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
- FIG. 1 b illustrates a portable or handheld device primarily used to display and/or conduct wagering games.
- the handheld device may incorporate the same features as the gaming terminal 10 or variations thereof.
- a more detailed description of a handheld device that may be utilized with the present invention can be found in PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US2007/000792 filed Jan. 26, 2007, entitled “Handheld Device for Wagering Games,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
- the basic-game screen 160 on the primary display area 14 portrays a plurality of simulated movable reels 162 a - e .
- the basic-game screen 160 may portray a plurality of mechanical reels.
- the basic-game screen 160 may also display a plurality of game-session meters and various buttons adapted to be actuated by a player.
- the powerup menu 200 includes a set of powerup icons 210 , 212 , 214 , 216 , and 218 .
- Each of the powerup icons 210 , 212 , 214 , 216 , and 218 includes a number which shows the number of such powerups available to the player.
- the powerup icon 212 shows a “seven” indicating that the player has accumulated seven such powerups.
- the powerup icon 210 has a “one” indicating that the player has accumulated one such powerup.
- the powerup icons 214 , 216 , and 218 show a zero indicating the player has not accumulated any of the powerups of those types.
- Each powerup type represented by the powerup icons 210 , 212 , 214 , 216 , and 218 has a specific associated game enhancement for future spins when the powerup is activated.
- the player has wagered four credits per payline and therefore the Wilds powerup icon 212 is available while the power icons 210 , 214 , 216 , and 218 are grayed out because the player does not have a sufficient number of powerups to activate the game enhancement features.
- the Bonus Boost powerup is not available to the player to activate because the player has only accumulated one Bonus Boost powerup and therefore the Bonus Boost icon 210 is grayed out. If the player only wagered one credit per payline, the icon 210 representing the Bonus Boost powerup would be activated as well, allowing the player to choose between the Wilds powerup icon 212 and the Bonus Boost powerup icon 210 .
- certain powerups may have higher EVs than other powerups. In such a case, the higher EV powerups are less likely to be awarded than lower EV powerups.
- the average EV of all available powerups is constant in one embodiment, though in other embodiments the average EV may be allowed to vary.
- Each powerup also has an associated descriptive banner such as the banner 202 that appears above the reels 162 a - e while the powerup is active as shown in FIG. 4 .
- touching the powerup icon such as the powerup icon 212 on the powerup menu 200 triggers the display of the banner 202 above the reels 162 a - e .
- Touching the icon 212 again will de-activate the powerup and the banner associated with the powerup such as the banner 202 will disappear.
- Touching a different powerup icon will activate the second powerup and de-activate the first one resulting in the display of a different banner above the reels 162 a - e . Only one powerup may be active on any spin.
- FIG. 5 shows an informational screen 500 that may be displayed in pop-up form over the basic-game screen in FIG. 4 to display the expected value in credits of available powerups when a player decides to cash out and end play of the basic-game.
- the informational screen 500 includes an expected value indicator 502 that indicates the expected value in credits to the player and a continue button 504 which activates the conversion of powerups to a credit value.
- the powerup icons 610 , 612 , 614 , 616 , and 618 correspond to different powerups as explained above.
- the powerup icons available to the player for the available credits are highlighted such as the icons 610 , 612 , and 616 . Therefore in this example, rather than receiving 1234 credits, the player may receive six Symbol Wild powerups, twelve All Wins At X powerups and two Scatter Spin powerups. Certain powerups may require additional credits and are unavailable to the player in this example. Other powerups may not be associated with the random selection of powerups offered to the player in exchange for the credits.
- the icons associated with such unavailable powerups are grayed out such as the icons 614 and 618 in FIG. 6 .
Abstract
Description
- This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/221,984, filed Jun. 30, 2009 and that application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
- A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
- The present invention relates generally to a gaming apparatus and methods for playing wagering games, and more particularly to bonus powerups with associated enhancements that may be applied by a player for future plays of a wagering game.
- Gaming terminals, such as slot machines, video poker machines, and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machine and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options.
- Where the available gaming options include a number of competing machines and the expectation of winning each machine is roughly the same (or believed to be the same), players are most likely to be attracted to the most entertaining and exciting of the machines. Shrewd operators consequently strive to employ the most entertaining and exciting machines available because such machines attract frequent play and hence increase profitability to the operator. Accordingly, in the competitive gaming machine industry, there is a continuing need for gaming machine manufacturers to produce new types of games, or enhancements to existing games, which will attract frequent play by enhancing the entertainment value and excitement associated with the game.
- In order to attract players and achieve player loyalty to different games, game designers seek to make games interesting to the player. There are therefore continual challenges to develop different attractive features to a player in wagering games.
- According to one example, a gaming system for conducting a wagering game includes a wager input for receiving a wager from a player to play a single play of a wagering game. At least one display to display a plurality of reels with symbols is provided. A controller is coupled to the wager input and the at least one display. The controller is operative to randomly generate an outcome of the wagering game from a plurality of wagering game outcomes. The controller displays the randomly generated wagering game outcome on the plurality of reels. The plurality of outcomes includes the award of a powerup to a player. The powerup allows the player to activate a game enhancement feature on a future play of the wagering game.
- Another example is a gaming system that includes a wager input for receiving a wager from a player to play a single play of a wagering game. At least one display to display a plurality of reels with symbols is provided. A controller is coupled to the wager input and the at least one display. The controller is operative to randomly generate an outcome of the wagering game from a plurality of outcomes including a winning outcome. The controller also displays the randomly generated wagering game outcome on the plurality of reels and awards a credit award based on a winning outcome. A selection mechanism allows a player awarded a winning outcome to select between the credit award and a powerup allowing game enhancements if the powerup is activated in future plays of the wagering game.
- Another example is a method of conducting a wagering game on a gaming system. The wagering game includes a game sequence in which a player makes a wager and a wagering game outcome is determined. The wagering game is conducted using a gaming apparatus to receive inputs from the player and to generate wagering game outcomes that are communicated to the player. The gaming apparatus includes a user interface device configured to receive an input from the player. The apparatus also includes one or more display devices configured to display information or graphics to be viewed by the player and one or more storage devices. One or more processors is configured to execute computer instructions relating to the wagering game. A player input is accepted at the user interface device and is transformed into electronic data signals indicative of a wager to play the wagering game. At least one of the gaming apparatus processors interpret the wager from the data signals and a recording of a digital representation of the wager is stored in at least one of the gaming apparatus storage devices. At least one of the gaming apparatus processors is used to initiate the game sequence of the wagering game on the gaming apparatus. The user interface device is used to activate the wagering game. At least one of the gaming apparatus processors causes at least one of the display devices to display a series of reels with symbols showing a randomly generated outcome of a plurality of outcomes of the wagering game. The plurality of outcomes includes an outcome to award a powerup allowing the player to activate a game enhancement feature on a future play of the wagering game.
- Another example is a method of conducting a wagering game on a gaming system. The wagering game includes a game sequence in which a player makes a wager and a wagering game outcome is determined. The wagering game is conducted using a gaming apparatus to receive inputs from the player and to generate wagering game outcomes that are communicated to the player. The gaming apparatus includes a user interface device configured to receive an input from the player. The gaming apparatus also includes one or more display devices configured to display information or graphics to be viewed by the player, one or more storage devices, and one or more processors configured to execute computer instructions relating to the wagering game. A player input is accepted at the user input device and transformed into electronic data signals indicative of a wager to play the wagering game. At least one of the gaming apparatus processors is used to interpret the wager from the data signals and to, at least in part, cause the recording of a digital representation of the wager in at least one of the gaming apparatus storage devices. At least one of the gaming apparatus processors is used to initiate the game sequence of the wagering game on the gaming apparatus. The user interface device is used to activate the wagering game. At least one of the gaming apparatus processors is used to cause at least one of the display devices to display a series of reels with symbols showing a randomly generated outcome of a plurality of outcomes of the wagering game, the plurality of outcomes includes a winning outcome. A selection from a player awarded a winning outcome between the credit award and a powerup allowing game enhancements if the powerup is activated in future plays of the wagering game.
- Additional aspects of the invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the detailed description of various embodiments, which is made with reference to the drawings, a brief description of which is provided below.
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FIG. 1 a is a perspective view of a free-standing gaming terminal. -
FIG. 1 b is a perspective view of a handheld gaming terminal. -
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a gaming system. -
FIG. 3 is an image of a basic-game screen of a wagering game that may be displayed on a gaming terminal. -
FIG. 4 is an image of a basic-game screen that displays the special feature menu for player selection of powerups. -
FIG. 5 is an image of the game screen with a meter showing the total credit amount of expected value a player has in power-ups. -
FIG. 6 is an image of a summary game screen that provides a player a choice of a credit award or game powerups. -
FIG. 7 is a flowchart for an algorithm that corresponds to instructions executed by a controller in accord with at least some aspects of the disclosed concepts. - While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
- While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated.
- Referring to
FIG. 1 a, there is shown agaming terminal 10 similar to those used in gaming establishments, such as casinos. With regard to the present invention, thegaming terminal 10 may be any type of gaming terminal and may have varying structures and methods of operation. For example, thegaming terminal 10 may be an electromechanical gaming terminal configured to play mechanical slots, or it may be an electronic gaming terminal configured to play a video casino game, such as slots, keno, poker, blackjack, roulette, craps, etc. It should be understood that although thegaming terminal 10 is shown as a free-standing terminal of the upright type, it may take on a wide variety of other forms such as a free-standing terminal of the slant-top type, a portable or handheld device primarily used for gaming as shown inFIG. 1 b, a mobile telecommunications device such as a mobile telephone or personal digital assistant (PDA), a counter-top or bar-top gaming terminal, or other personal electronic device such as a portable television, MP3 player, entertainment device, etc. - The illustrated
gaming terminal 10 comprises a cabinet orhousing 12. For output devices, thegaming terminal 10 may include aprimary display area 14, asecondary display area 16, and one or moreaudio speakers 18. Theprimary display area 14 and/orsecondary display area 16 may display information associated with wagering games, non-wagering games, community games, progressives, advertisements, services, premium entertainment, text messaging, e-mails, alerts or announcements, broadcast information, subscription information, etc. For input devices, thegaming terminal 10 may include abill validator 20, acoin acceptor 22, one ormore information readers 24, one or more player-input devices 26, and one or more player-accessible ports 28 (e.g., an audio output jack for headphones, a video headset jack, a wireless transmitter/receiver, etc.). While these typical components found in thegaming terminal 10 are described below, it should be understood that numerous other peripheral devices and other elements may exist and may be used in any number of combinations to create various forms of a gaming terminal. - The
primary display area 14 may include a mechanical-reel display, a video display, or a combination thereof in which a transmissive video display in front of the mechanical-reel display portrays a video image superimposed over the mechanical-reel display. Further information concerning the latter construction is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,517,433 to Loose et al. entitled “Reel Spinning Slot Machine With Superimposed Video Image,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The video display may be a cathode ray tube (CRT), a high-resolution liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display, a light emitting diode (LED), a DLP projection display, an electroluminescent (EL) panel, or any other type of display suitable for use in thegaming terminal 10. Theprimary display area 14 may include one or more paylines 30 (seeFIG. 3 ) extending along a portion thereof. In the illustrated embodiment, theprimary display area 14 comprises a plurality ofmechanical reels 32 and avideo display 34 such as a transmissive display (or a reflected image arrangement in other embodiments) in front of themechanical reels 32. If the wagering game conducted via thegaming terminal 10 relies upon thevideo display 34 only and not themechanical reels 32, themechanical reels 32 may be removed from the interior of the terminal and thevideo display 34 may be of a non-transmissive type. Similarly, if the wagering game conducted via thegaming terminal 10 relies upon themechanical reels 32 but not thevideo display 34, thevideo display 34 may be replaced with a conventional glass panel. Further, the underlying mechanical-reel display may be replaced with a video display such that theprimary display area 14 includes layered video displays, or may be replaced with another mechanical or physical member such as a mechanical wheel (e.g., a roulette game), dice, a pachinko board, or a diorama presenting a three-dimensional model of a game environment. - Video images in the
primary display area 14 and/or thesecondary display area 16 may be rendered in two-dimensional (e.g., using Flash Macromedia™) or three-dimensional graphics (e.g., using Renderware™). The images may be played back (e.g., from a recording stored on the gaming terminal 10), streamed (e.g., from a gaming network), or received as a TV signal (e.g., either broadcast or via cable). The images may be animated or they may be real-life images, either prerecorded (e.g., in the case of marketing/promotional material) or as live footage, and the format of the video images may be an analog format, a standard digital format, or a high-definition (HD) digital format. - The player-
input devices 26 may include a plurality ofbuttons 36 on a button panel and/or atouch screen 38 mounted over theprimary display area 14 and/or thesecondary display area 16 and having one or moresoft touch keys 40. The player-input devices 26 may further comprise technologies that do not rely upon touching the gaming terminal, such as speech-recognition technology, gesture-sensing technology, eye-tracking technology, etc. - The
information reader 24 is preferably located on the front of thehousing 12 and may take on many forms such as a ticket reader, card reader, bar code scanner, wireless transceiver (e.g., RFID, Bluetooth, etc.), biometric reader, or computer-readable-storage-medium interface. Information may be transmitted between a portable medium (e.g., ticket, voucher, coupon, casino card, smart card, debit card, credit card, etc.) and theinformation reader 24 for accessing an account associated with cashless gaming, player tracking, game customization, saved-game state, data transfer, and casino services as more fully disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0045354 entitled “Portable Data Unit for Communicating With Gaming Machine Over Wireless Link,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The account may be stored at an external system 46 (seeFIG. 2 ) as more fully disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,280,328 to Holch et al. entitled “Cashless Computerized Video Game System and Method,” which is incorporated herein by referenced in its entirety, or directly on the portable medium. To enhance security, the individual carrying the portable medium may be required to enter a secondary independent authenticator (e.g., password, PIN number, biometric, etc.) to access their account. -
FIG. 1 b illustrates a portable or handheld device primarily used to display and/or conduct wagering games. The handheld device may incorporate the same features as thegaming terminal 10 or variations thereof. A more detailed description of a handheld device that may be utilized with the present invention can be found in PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US2007/000792 filed Jan. 26, 2007, entitled “Handheld Device for Wagering Games,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. - Turning now to
FIG. 2 , the various components of thegaming terminal 10 are controlled by a central processing unit (CPU) 42, also referred to herein as a controller or processor (such as a microcontroller or microprocessor). TheCPU 42 can include any suitable processor, such as an Intel® Pentium processor,Intel® Core 2 Duo processor, AMD Opteron™ processor, or UltraSPARC® processor. To provide gaming functions, thecontroller 42 executes one or more game programs stored in one or more computer readable storage media in the form ofmemory 44 or other suitable storage device. Thecontroller 42 uses a random number generator (RNG) to randomly generate a wagering game outcome from a plurality of possible outcomes. Alternatively, the outcome may be centrally determined using either an RNG or pooling scheme at a remote controller included, for example, within theexternal system 46. It should be appreciated that thecontroller 42 may include one or more microprocessors, including but not limited to a master processor, a slave processor, and a secondary or parallel processor. - The
controller 42 is coupled to thesystem memory 44 and also to a money/credit detector 48. Thesystem memory 44 may comprise a volatile memory (e.g., a random-access memory (RAM)) and a non-volatile memory (e.g., an EEPROM). Thesystem memory 44 may include multiple RAM and multiple program memories. The money/credit detector 48 signals the processor that money and/or credits have been input via a value-input device, such as thebill validator 20,coin acceptor 22, or via other sources, such as a cashless gaming account, etc. These components may be located internal or external to thehousing 12 of thegaming terminal 10 and connected to the remainder of the components of thegaming terminal 10 via a variety of different wired or wireless connection methods. The money/credit detector 48 detects the input of funds into the gaming terminal 10 (e.g., via currency, electronic funds, ticket, card, etc.) that are generally converted into a credit balance available to the player for wagering on thegaming terminal 10. Thecredit detector 48 detects when a player places a wager (e.g., via a player-input device 26) to play the wagering game, the wager then generally being deducted from the credit balance. The money/credit detector 48 sends a communication to thecontroller 42 that a wager has been detected and also communicates the amount of the wager. - As seen in
FIG. 2 , thecontroller 42 is also connected to, and controls, theprimary display area 14, the player-input device 26, and apayoff mechanism 50. Thepayoff mechanism 50 is operable in response to instructions from thecontroller 42 to award a payoff to the player in response to certain winning outcomes that might occur in the base game, the bonus game(s), or via an external game or event. The payoff may be provided in the form of money, redeemable points, services, or any combination thereof. Such payoff may be associated with a ticket (from a ticket printer 52), portable data unit (e.g., a card), coins (from acoin outlet 54 shown inFIG. 1 a), currency bills, accounts, and the like. The payoff amounts distributed by thepayoff mechanism 50 are determined by one or more pay tables stored in thesystem memory 44. - Communications between the
controller 42 and both the peripheral components of thegaming terminal 10 and theexternal system 46 occur through input/output (I/O)circuit 56, which can include any suitable bus technologies, such as an AGTL+ frontside bus and a PCI backside bus. Although the I/O circuit 56 is shown as a single block, it should be appreciated that the I/O circuit 56 may include a number of different types of I/O circuits. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the components of thegaming terminal 10 can be interconnected according to any suitable interconnection architecture (e.g., directly connected, hypercube, etc.). - The I/
O circuit 56 is connected to anexternal system interface 58, which is connected to theexternal system 46. Thecontroller 42 communicates with theexternal system 46 via theexternal system interface 58 and a communication path (e.g., serial, parallel, IR, RC, 10 bT, etc.). Theexternal system 46 may include a gaming network, other gaming terminals, a gaming server, a remote controller, communications hardware, or a variety of other interfaced systems or components. -
Controller 42, as used herein, comprises any combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware that may be disposed or resident inside and/or outside of thegaming terminal 10 and may communicate with and/or control the transfer of data between thegaming terminal 10 and a bus, another computer, processor, or device and/or a service and/or a network. Thecontroller 42 may comprise one or more controllers or processors. InFIG. 2 , thecontroller 42 in thegaming terminal 10 is depicted as comprising a CPU, but thecontroller 42 may alternatively comprise a CPU in combination with other components, such as the I/O circuit 56 and thesystem memory 44. Thecontroller 42 is operable to execute all of the various gaming methods and other processes disclosed herein. - The
gaming terminal 10 may communicate with external system 46 (in a wired or wireless manner) such that each terminal operates as a “thin client” having relatively less functionality, a “thick client” having relatively more functionality, or with any range of functionality therebetween (e.g., a “rich client”). In general, a wagering game includes an RNG for generating a random number, game logic for determining the outcome based on the randomly generated number, and game assets (e.g., art, sound, etc.) for presenting the determined outcome to a player in an audio-visual manner. The RNG, game logic, and game assets may be contained within the gaming terminal 10 (“thick client” gaming terminal), the external systems 46 (“thin client” gaming terminal), or distributed therebetween in any suitable manner (“rich client” gaming terminal). - Referring now to
FIG. 3 , an image of a basic-game screen 60 adapted to be displayed on theprimary display area 14 is illustrated, according to one disclosed example. A player begins play of a basic wagering game by providing a wager. A player can operate or interact with the wagering game using the one or more player-input devices 26. Thecontroller 42, theexternal system 46, or both, in alternative embodiments, operate(s) to execute a wagering game program causing theprimary display area 14 to display the wagering game that includes a plurality of visual elements. - The basic-
game screen 60 may be displayed on theprimary display area 14 or a portion thereof. InFIG. 3 , the basic-game screen 60 portrays a plurality of simulated movable reels 62 a-e. Alternatively or additionally, the basic-game screen 60 may portray a plurality of mechanical reels. The basic-game screen 60 may also display a plurality of game-session meters and various buttons adapted to be actuated by a player. - In the illustrated embodiment, the game-session meters include a “credit”
meter 64 for displaying a number of credits available for play on the terminal; a “lines”meter 66 for displaying a number of paylines to be played by a player on the terminal; a “line bet”meter 68 for displaying a number of credits wagered (e.g., from 1 to 5 or more credits) for each of the number of paylines played; a “total bet”meter 70 for displaying a total number of credits wagered for the particular round of wagering; and a “paid”meter 72 for displaying an amount to be awarded based on the results of the particular round's wager. The user-selectable buttons may include a “collect”button 74 to collect the credits remaining in thecredits meter 64; a “help”button 76 for viewing instructions on how to play the wagering game; a “pay table”button 78 for viewing a pay table associated with the basic wagering game; a “select lines”button 80 for changing the number of paylines (displayed in the lines meter 66) a player wishes to play; a “bet per line”button 82 for changing the amount of the wager that is displayed in the line-bet meter 68; a “spin reels”button 84 for moving the reels 62 a-e; and a “max bet spin”button 86 for wagering a maximum number of credits and moving the reels 62 a-e of the basic wagering game. While thegaming terminal 10 allows for these types of player inputs, the present invention does not require them and can be used on gaming terminals having more, less, or different player inputs. -
Paylines 30 may extend from one of the payline indicators 88 a-i on the left side of the basic-game screen 60 to a corresponding one of the payline indicators 88 a-i on the right side of thescreen 60. A plurality ofsymbols 90 is displayed on the plurality of reels 62 a-e to indicate possible outcomes of the basic wagering game. A winning combination occurs when the displayedsymbols 90 correspond to one of the winning symbol combinations listed in a pay table stored in thememory 44 of the terminal 10 or in theexternal system 46. Thesymbols 90 may include any appropriate graphical representation or animation, and may further include a “blank” symbol. - Symbol combinations may be evaluated as line pays or scatter pays. Line pays may be evaluated left to right, right to left, top to bottom, bottom to top, or any combination thereof by evaluating the number, type, or order of
symbols 90 appearing along an activatedpayline 30. Scatter pays are evaluated without regard to position or paylines and only require that such combination appears anywhere on the reels 62 a-e. While an embodiment with nine paylines is shown, a wagering game with no paylines, a single payline, or any plurality of paylines will also work with the present invention. Additionally, though an embodiment with five reels is shown, a gaming terminal with any plurality of reels may also be used in accordance with the present invention. - Turning now to
FIG. 4 , a game enhancement feature including powerups is shown, according to one disclosed example, in relation to a second example of a themed basic-game screen 160 adapted to be displayed on theprimary display area 14 inFIG. 1 . A player begins play of a basic wagering game by providing a wager. A player can operate or interact with the wagering game using the one or more player-input devices 26. Thecontroller 42, theexternal system 46, or both, in alternative embodiments, operate(s) to execute a wagering game program causing theprimary display area 14 to display the wagering game that includes a plurality of visual elements inFIG. 1 . - In
FIG. 4 , the basic-game screen 160 on theprimary display area 14 portrays a plurality of simulated movable reels 162 a-e. Alternatively or additionally, the basic-game screen 160 may portray a plurality of mechanical reels. The basic-game screen 160 may also display a plurality of game-session meters and various buttons adapted to be actuated by a player. - In the illustrated embodiment, the game-session meters include a “credit”
meter 164 for displaying a number of credits available for play on the terminal; a “line bet”meter 168 for displaying a number of credits wagered (e.g., from 1 to 5 or more credits) for each of the number of paylines played; a “total bet”meter 170 for displaying a total number of credits wagered for the particular round of wagering; and a “paid”meter 172 for displaying an amount to be awarded based on the results of the particular round's wager. The user-selectable buttons may include a “menu”button 176 for viewing instructions on how to play the wagering game and other screens for other player controls and a “spin reels”button 184 for moving the reels 162 a-e. While thegaming terminal 10 allows for these types of player inputs, the present example does not require them and can be used on gaming terminals having more, less, or different player inputs. - A plurality of
symbols 190 is displayed on the plurality of reels 162 a-e to indicate possible outcomes of the basic wagering game. A winning combination occurs when the displayedsymbols 190 correspond to one of the winning symbol combinations listed in a pay table stored in thememory 44 of the terminal 10 or in theexternal system 46. Thesymbols 190 may include any appropriate graphical representation or animation, and may further include a “blank” symbol. In this example, the theme of the basic-game is based on LORD OF THE RINGS and thesymbols 190 are based on characters and objects relating to LORD OF THE RINGS. The basic-game screen 160 includes apowerup menu 200 at the bottom edge of the screen and abanner 202 along the top edge of the screen. - The
powerup menu 200 includes a set ofpowerup icons powerup icons powerup icon 212 shows a “seven” indicating that the player has accumulated seven such powerups. Thepowerup icon 210 has a “one” indicating that the player has accumulated one such powerup. Thepowerup icons powerup icons - In this example, the Bonus
Boost powerup icon 210 results in an external Bonus symbol that causes only two Bonus triggers to be necessary to trigger a Bonus outcome on the reels 162 a-e. The SymbolWilds powerup icon 212 makes all symbols of a certain type such as GANDALF, SWORD, or FRODO change to WILD symbols. The Random ReelsWild powerup icon 214 makes thesymbols 190 on one to four reels 162 a-e, wild symbols for the subsequent spin. The All Wins atX powerup icon 216 makes all wins pay at 2×-10×. If the bonus triggers on a spin with the All Wins at X powerup active, the bonus is also multiplied. TheScatterSpin powerup icon 218 results in all pays paid as scatter pays and no line pays. - Throughout the basic-game, randomly following, prior to, or during a spin of the reels 162 a-e, the player may be awarded a “powerup” feature from the
icons powerup menu 200. The powerups may vary in terms of types of powerups awarded and amounts of powerups awarded. Alternatively, one single type of powerup in a fixed amount may be awarded per spin. The amount of powerups awarded is preferably a multiple of the number of credits wagered per payline. For example, a mystery outcome in the basic-game based on a player wagering four credits per payline may award four All Wins at X powerups, four Random Reels Wild powerups, and four ScatterSpin powerups. In one embodiment, the types of powerups available to a player increases as the player's wager increase. For example, if a player wagers only one credit per payline the player may only be eligible to win the Bonus Boost powerup, whereas if the player wagers two credits per payline, the player may be eligible to win both or either of the Bonus Boost powerup or the Symbol Wilds powerup. In this alternative, if the player wagers a maximum number of credits, all of the different types of powerups are available to be awarded. Of course, less than all of the types of powerups are available when a player wagers less than the maximum number of credits The powerups features available to a player are displayed in themenu 200 that allows player access to available powerups anytime prior to a spin for a future play of the basic-game. - The powerups allow a player to apply a game enhancement to any future spin of the reels 162 a-e. In the example shown in
FIG. 4 , the powerup selected is represented by theWilds powerup icon 212. The powerup represented by theWilds powerup icon 212 will make a specific symbol type on the reels 162 a-e transform to a WILD symbol. In this example, the specific symbol type is a GANDALF symbol. - Before any spin, the player may choose to activate the powerup by touching the icon representing the powerup on the
powerup menu 200. Alternatively, the player may activate a powerup on the mechanical button panel such as thesoft touch keys 40 inFIG. 1 . In this example, the number of powerups required for activation of the associated game enhancement feature is equal to the player's bet per line in the basic-game. If a player hasn't collected enough powerups to use at their current bet level, those powerups will not be available for activation. In the example shown inFIG. 4 , the player has wagered four credits per payline and therefore theWilds powerup icon 212 is available while thepower icons Bonus Boost icon 210 is grayed out. If the player only wagered one credit per payline, theicon 210 representing the Bonus Boost powerup would be activated as well, allowing the player to choose between theWilds powerup icon 212 and the BonusBoost powerup icon 210. - Once a powerup is activated such as the Wilds powerup as shown by the highlighted
powerup icon 212, the reels 162 a-e may be spun and the game enhancement associated with the activated powerup will be applied to the result of the spin. Depending on the nature and type of powerup, the powerup may be displayed before, during, or after the reels have spun, but prior to the evaluation of thesymbols 190 on the reels 162 a-e. - In this example, when powerups are awarded, the number of powerups awarded is equal to the player's bet per line. Thus, the player may be offered anywhere from one to five powerups in this example corresponding to the number of bets per line the player has wagered. When the player uses accumulated powerups, they must use a number of powerups equal to their bet per payline. If a player doesn't have enough powerups to match their current bet per payline, the icon associated with the powerup will be grayed out on the
powerup menu 200 such asicons FIG. 4 . A player touching the grayed out powerup icon such as theicon 214 will trigger a message stating that they need to adjust their bet per line to use the powerup or collect more powerups of that type. - In this example, the powerups are randomly chosen when they are awarded. Thus, although only five types of powerups are shown in
FIG. 4 , additional powerups with associated different game enhancement features may be offered. The list of available powerups may grow as the player moves through the basic-game and/or associated bonus games. Alternatively, certain types of powerups available to a player may be replaced by other types of powerups as a player progresses through the basic-game. Certain powerups may only be available to players who have reached certain waypoints on a map (not shown) associated with a player's progression hitting certain symbols or benchmarks of the LORD OF THE RINGS theme in the basic-game. - The
powerup menu 200 includes ameter 222 that shows the current expected value in credits of the powerups currently available to the player. The expected value (EV) in credits of the powerup features will not fluctuate during the game in this example. However, as an alternative in games such as episodic games, the EV in credits of the powerup features may increase or decrease. Each of the enhancements associated with a powerup has an EV amount attached to it. Themeter 222 above thepowerup icons meter 222 of thepowerup menu 200. - In one alternative, certain powerups may have higher EVs than other powerups. In such a case, the higher EV powerups are less likely to be awarded than lower EV powerups. The average EV of all available powerups is constant in one embodiment, though in other embodiments the average EV may be allowed to vary.
- Each powerup also has an associated descriptive banner such as the
banner 202 that appears above the reels 162 a-e while the powerup is active as shown inFIG. 4 . As shown inFIG. 4 , touching the powerup icon such as thepowerup icon 212 on thepowerup menu 200 triggers the display of thebanner 202 above the reels 162 a-e. Touching theicon 212 again will de-activate the powerup and the banner associated with the powerup such as thebanner 202 will disappear. Touching a different powerup icon will activate the second powerup and de-activate the first one resulting in the display of a different banner above the reels 162 a-e. Only one powerup may be active on any spin. If the reels 162 a-e are spun while a powerup is activated, the game enhancement associated with the powerup will be applied to that spin, and the number of powerups used are removed from thepowerup menu 200. The expected value shown in themeter 222 is also changed to reflect the expected value of the remaining powerups. - In this example, the player has selected the GANDALF bonus powerup by selecting the
icon 212. The associatedbanner 202 includes apowerup notification 230, apowerup explanation 232, and asecond powerup icon 234 that represents the selected powerup. Thepowerup notification 230 notifies the player that the selected powerup is active for the spin. Thepowerup explanation 232 in this example informs the player that all GANDALF symbols appearing on the reels 162 a-e are transformed to a WILD symbol. Thepowerup icon 234 is identical to the selectedicon 212 and serves to further indicate the type of powerup activated. -
FIG. 5 shows aninformational screen 500 that may be displayed in pop-up form over the basic-game screen inFIG. 4 to display the expected value in credits of available powerups when a player decides to cash out and end play of the basic-game. Theinformational screen 500 includes an expectedvalue indicator 502 that indicates the expected value in credits to the player and a continuebutton 504 which activates the conversion of powerups to a credit value. - When a player cashes out, or the credit meter drops below the threshold to make a minimum bet in the basic-game, the value of the available powerups may be cashed out as well. This will be done all at once in the LORD OF THE RINGS game in this example, but another game may allow the player to convert a portion of their powerups to credits at any one point during the game. Alternatively, assuming a player identification is entered, the powerups may stored and associated with the player identification to be carried over to future games played by the player.
-
FIG. 6 shows acashout selection screen 600 that allows a player to purchase additional powerups. After a bonus award, if the player's win is above a specified threshold, they will be offered the opportunity to receive their award in equivalent powerups. This offer may be presented in aselection screen 600 shown inFIG. 6 . Theselection screen 600 includes acredits selection button 602 and apowerup selection button 604. The player can then choose to take the credits awarded by selecting thecredits selection button 602, or the collection of powerups offered by selecting thepowerup selection button 604. A series ofpowerup icons powerup selection button 604. Thepowerup icons icons icons FIG. 6 . A number ofcredits indicator 620 is displayed above thecredits button 602. In this example, the only place in the game where a player has the opportunity to “purchase” powerups is in the cash out phase. Throughout the rest of the game, the powerups are awarded as a mystery prize. - Alternatively, an offer of this type in
FIG. 6 could be awarded after every win or after a win exceeding a certain threshold (both in the base game). The EV of the offered powerups may be more than, less than, or equivalent to the credit award to provide the player additional opportunities. The offered powerups may be randomly selected by the processor or may be selected by the player. A player may therefore be allowed to select the specific powerup as well as the amount of powerups in lieu of a credit award. -
FIG. 7 , described by way of example above, represents one algorithm that corresponds to the at least some instructions executed by thecontroller 42 and/orexternal systems 46 inFIG. 2 to perform the above described functions associated with the disclosed concepts. A player initiates the play of the basic-game shown inFIG. 4 (700). The play is initiated by accepting, at a user interface device such as theplayer input devices 26 inFIG. 1 , a player input and transforming the player input into electronic data signals indicative of a wager to play the wagering game. At least one of the gaming apparatus processors such as thecontroller 42 inFIG. 2 interprets the wager from the data signals and, at least in part, causes the recording of a digital representation of the wager in at least one of the gaming apparatus storage devices such as thememory 44. At least one of the gaming apparatus processors such as thecontroller 42 initiates the game sequence of the wagering game on the gaming apparatus such as thegaming terminal 10. The user interface device such as theplayer interface 26 activates the wagering game. - The wagering game sequence includes determining whether any powerups are available for the player (702). If powerups are available, the wagering game activates the powerups menu as shown in
FIG. 4 to display the available powerups to the player (704). The wagering game then determines whether a player has selected a powerup (706). If a powerup is selected, the number of available powerups is reduced (708). The powerup is then activated for the wagering game (710). - After the determination of whether a powerup is available (702) and selected (706), a random outcome is determined for the wagering game such as the basic-game shown in
FIG. 4 (712). The wagering game creates the random outcome to decide whether an award is awarded and applies any selected powerup to the outcome (712). The algorithm then decides whether a powerup is awarded (714). If a powerup is awarded, the algorithm assigns the player the type of powerup and the amount of powerups (716). - The algorithm then determines whether a selection threshold has been reached (718). Typically the selection threshold is a set number of winning credits from the random outcome. If selection threshold is not reached either because there was not a winning outcome or the number of credits awarded was insufficient, the algorithm loops back to allow the player to initiate another game (700). If the winning credits exceed the threshold, the algorithm determines a powerup award (720). The powerup award may include different types and amounts of powerups. The powerup award may be equivalent in expected value as the credit award or may differ. The algorithm then offers a player the choice between the credit award and additional powerups by displaying a selection screen (722). The player selects between credits and additional powerups via the selection screen such as shown in
FIG. 6 . The algorithm then determines whether credits or the powerups are selected (724). If the player selects a powerup, the powerups are awarded to the player (726) and themeter 222 and icons in thepowerup menu 200 inFIG. 4 are adjusted accordingly to reflect the additional powerups. If the player selects the credits, the credits are awarded to the player (728). - Each of these embodiments and obvious variations thereof is contemplated as falling within the spirit and scope of the claimed invention, which is set forth in the following claims.
Claims (28)
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Also Published As
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AU2010202690A1 (en) | 2011-01-20 |
AU2010202690B2 (en) | 2013-01-24 |
ZA201003868B (en) | 2011-02-23 |
US8353755B2 (en) | 2013-01-15 |
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